J

- after Claire Wahmanholm

J is for the first letter in the names of each of my three
older daughters, whose father wanted to continue his family's
tradition of naming. J has no equivalent letter in baybayin,
nor in the Filipino abakada or the Ilocano kinur-it. In Spanish,
J sounds breathy and open, unlike the hard consonant we think
it is. Jamón, jéfe, juego, jóya, jardín; even jubílo, which in English
we know as joy. I was just eighteen, had just started wearing
jeans, was jittery around students on campus (more hip, already
jaded). Marrying young, perhaps I jettisoned my better judgment
into the bushes; but I promise, it was no jezebel that stepped out.
When I juxtapose that time against this, I still sometimes hear
the quiet ping of jackstones on porch tile and the children's
voices counting; the clink of jade bangles around their wrists.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from Via Negativa

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading